Portland Press Herald Podcast

Portland Press Herald Columnists Bill Nemitz, Cynthia Dill, Alan Caron and Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich discuss the election results. What do they mean? Where do things go from here?

Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich is joined by Sunday columnists Cynthia Dill and Alan Caron to share thoughts and predictions about Tuesday's election, and which of the referendum questions they expect Maine's voters to reject.

Proponents and opponents of Question 1, an act to legalize marijuana, faced off before the Press Herald editorial board, highlighting their points of disagreement on the upcoming referendum.

Kyle Bailey, campaign manager for the Ranked Choice Committee debated state Representative Heather Sirocki over Question 5, an act to establish ranked choice voting, at a meeting of the Press Herald editorial board.

Bobby Reynolds, deputy campaign manager for Mainers for Responsible Gun Ownership and David Trahan, executive director of the Sportsmans Alliance of Maine visited the Press Herald editorial board to explain their views on Question 3, a measure to require background checks for private gun sales.   Question 3: "Do you want to require background checks prior to the sale or transfer of firearms between individuals not licensed as firearms dealers, with failure to do so punishable by law, and with some exceptions for family members, hunting, self-defense, lawful competitions, and shooting range activity?"

The country has a growing economy, but it also has a shrinking number of quality jobs. And the dislocations, fear and anger that result are only going to get worse. A recent report in The Guardian suggests that a “disruptive tidal wave” of automation is upon us that will eliminate another 6 percent of our jobs over the next five years.

A remarkable outpouring of letters to the editor have appeared across the state recently, from Mainers and outsiders alike. They’ve been part of a outcry of disgust, frustration and anger at Gov. Paul LePage’s latest offensive behavior. In a sense, those letters – and the chatter you hear about the governor almost everywhere you go – signal a turning point for LePage. He still has the support of a core of conservative activists. But he’s lost the public as a whole.

From Pressherald.com: Gov. Paul LePage took a step Tuesday toward atoning for his recent actions, but he also sent sharply conflicting signals about how he plans to respond to mounting pressure from Democrats and members of his own party. Read More: http://www.pressherald.com/2016/08/30/lepage-says-he-is-considering-resignation-after-apology-to-westbrook-legislator/

Dig deep in this newspaper and you will find a window into another world. It’s a nature preserve where you can be on a snow-covered mountain one minute and in a desert or by the ocean the next. It’s a place where bears and wolves vie for territory with human predators who want to smuggle drugs or assassinate the president.   This, of course, is the world of Mark Trail, the hero of Lost Forest and the star of the long-running comic strip of the same name that appears here and in 174 other newspapers around the world. Column from Wednesday, August 24, 2016

The next time someone says we need to start pounding on the doors of our immigrant communities to “find out what the hell is going on,” remind them of Adnan Fazeli. Fazeli, 38, died on a battlefield in Lebanon last year after leaving his home and family in Freeport to become a fighter for the Islamic State in Syria. As reported in Tuesday’s Portland Press Herald, he came to the United States in 2008, became radicalized after moving to Portland from Philadelphia in 2009 and, as time passed, became increasingly isolated from his family and the local immigrant community before suddenly hopping on a plane for the Middle East in August of 2013. And how do we know all of this now? Because those closest to him called the FBI, that’s how. Column from August 18, 2016

Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich and Sarah Collins, Assistant Editorial Page Editor, review some of the comments our pages have generated. Editorials:  Our View: Poor, not rich, need help with child care expenses Maine Voices: Give local businesses a little boost by remembering to pay with cash Letter to the editor: Help economy by paying a living wage Music: Porcupong - Cool - used by permissi

I often wish we could take the spirit that everyone says they feel at Christmastime and inject it into the campaign season. The kindness and thoughtfulness. The generosity and cheerfulness. And the willingness to see the best in people first.   Column from Sunday, August 14, 2016   Music: Porcupong - Cool - used by permission

"One species never stops singing and displaying, all year long. They’re the “Hardenus Politicos,” known informally as the whack jobs, who can be found at the feeder of their favorite partisan media outlet every morning, bulking up for the day. They’ll spend most of their waking hours hurling squawking insults at each other on the internet, and making absolutely final and irrefutable predictions based on what they hope will happen. None of it will have the least effect on the election." Column from July 31, 2016 Alan Caron is the owner of Caron Communications and the author of “Maine’s Next Economy” and “Reinventing Maine Government.” He can be reached at: alancaroninmaine@gmail.com

The big unanswered question at the Democratic National Convention is not whether Russian hackers will sneak embarrassing text into the president’s teleprompter, or if the Bernie Sanders backers will have any voices left when it’s time to boo on Thursday night. The real question is about Hillary Clinton: Does she know what time it is? Column from July 27, 2016 Music: Porcupong - Cool - used by permission

Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich and Sarah Collins, Assistant Editorial Page Editor, review some of the comments our Opinion pages have generated. Editorials:  Our View: Maine CDC should share, not squelch, disease data Our View: Court ruling on Harpswell beach access shows need for public land Maine Voices: A no-tip, living wage for servers will anchor the restaurant industry Music: Porcupong - Cool - used by permission

Column from the Maine Sunday Telegram July 22, 2016   Music: Porcupong - Cool - used by permission

You’re more likely to be crushed to death by your wobbly bureau overstuffed with cheap clothes from China or that giant television set, where you’re glued to watching the gory details of the Nice attack, than you are to be killed by a radical Islamic terrorist from Syria. Column from July 17, 2016 Music: Porcupong - Cool - used by permission

As people gathered on a hot night to mourn two African American men who had been shot to death by police and five police officers in Dallas who had been gunned down by a sniper, the speaker who seemed to best capture the spirit of the moment was a cop, Portland Police Chief Mike Sauschuck. Column from July 20, 2016 Music: Porcupong - Cool - used by permission

Remember back in 2014, when the LePage administration had its hopes for major Medicaid reform pinned squarely on a contract, valued at just under $1 million, with The Alexander Group?   Bill Nemitz Portland Press Herald Column: July 20, 2016

Greg Kesich, Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor, and Sarah Collins, Assistant editorial page editor talk about feedback the newspaper has received this week, including comments about: Our View: Subsidies for unhealthy foods are killing us Our View: Zipper merging by highway drivers is right even if it feels wrong Greg Kesich: Many voters who say they value honesty are lying to themselves Maine Voices: To fathom tourists’ impact on Peaks Island, imagine so many on Munjoy Hill   Music: Porcupong - Cool - used by permission